Environmental Education
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2019 Report of the Arab Forum for Environment and Development ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION EDUCATION ENVIRONMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN ARAB COUNTRIES 2019 Report of the Arab Forum for Environment and Development ENVIRONMENTAL Arab Forum for Environment ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AT A GLANCE and Development (AFED) is an EDUCATION international not-for-profit, Evolution non-governmental, FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN ARAB COUNTRIES • Environmental Education has its origins in the mid-18th century, with philosophers and educators membership-based organization who believed that students should “study nature, not books”. headquartered in Beirut, Lebanon. • Environmental Education gained impetus with the birth of the United Nations Environment Members include corporations, EDITED BY: Programme (UNEP) at the conclusion of the first UN Conference on Human Environment in 1972. It universities, research centers, NAJIB SAAB became popular after the UN Intergovernmental Conference on Environmental Education in Tbilisi, media networks, and civil society Georgia, in 1977. alongside government entities as ADNAN BADRAN • The strong correlation between environment and development in education gained momentum after observers. Since 2007, AFED has ABDUL-KARIM SADIK the Rio Summit on Environment and Development in 1992, which led to Agenda 21, suggesting been a public forum for influential IN ARAB DEVELOPMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE education as the main tool to implement sustainable development, encompassing preserving the eco-advocates. Over the last environment. eleven years, it has become a major dynamic player in the • The process of integrating environment in sustainable development was expedited after the UN Conference on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002. This was soon reflected global environmental arena. in education, and culminated with the introduction of the Decade for Education on Sustainable Development (DESD) in 2005. At the conclusion of the Decade in 2014, 10 Arab countries out of 22 The flagship contribution of AFED had been involved in its programs, namely Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, is an annual report written and Palestine, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates. edited by experts on the state of Arab environment, tracking Arab Universities developments and proposing • AFED survey of 57 top-ranked universities in the Arab region identified 221 degree programs on policy measures. Other initiatives environmental topics, consisting of 71 bachelor’s degrees, 102 master’s degrees, 36 PhD degrees include a regional Corporate and 12 technical diplomas. Environmental Responsibility • 55 of the environment-related programs are offered by universities in the Levant (Iraq, Jordan, (CER) program, capacity Lebanon, Palestine, Syria), followed by 42 programs in the GCC countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, building, public awareness, and Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE), 39 programs in North Africa (Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia), environmental education. 26 programs in the Nile Valley (Egypt, Sudan), and 3 programs in the African Horn (Comoros, Djibouti, Somalia). AFED enjoys Consultative Status • There is a higher prevalence of scientific and technical degrees over economics, law, education and with the United Nations Economic policy-related ones. The highest frequency is in Environmental Sciences (34 degrees), followed by and Social Commission (ECOSOC), Environmental Engineering (30 degrees), Water Resources (29 degrees), and Renewable Energy (19 and has an observer member degrees). status with the United Nations • Research on environmental sciences constitute 7 percent of the total published by Arab researchers. Environment Program (UNEP), the League of Arab States (LAS), he highest increase in environmental research was recorded in Egypt and Saudi Arabia. T and many other regional and Arab Schools international organizations and COUNTRIES • Pollution, environmental health, nature and biological diversity still represent the common elements conventions. As an Arab think in school curricula across the Arab countries. Other issues started to be incorporated, to a lesser tank, it has played a major role extent, in the last 20 years, such as climate change, green economy, green jobs, renewable energy in international negotiations on green buildings, ecological footprint. environment and development, • Waste is often included only under pollution, but not in the context of waste management, including including advising governments reduction, reuse and recycling. and regional organizations on • Food and water security, plastic pollution and resource efficiency are absent from school curricula in matters such as climate change, about 70 percent of the Arab countries. green economy and sustainable development. • The trend of incorporating environment topics in all courses, including languages, literature and history, rather than only science, geography and civics, is gaining grounds across the Arab region. 2019 www.afedonline.org Arab Forum for Environment and Development Beirut, Lebanon Tel: (+961) 1 321 800 Fax: (+961) 1 321 900 e-mail: [email protected] Dedicated to Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Awadi 1936-2019 Chairman of AFED Executive Committee and Founding Board Member ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN ARAB COUNTRIES EDITED BY NAJIB SAAB ADNAN BADRAN ABDUL-KARIM SADEK 2019 REPORT OF THE ARAB FORUM FOR ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT Published with Technical Publications and Environment & Development magazine Beirut, Lebanon [email protected] http://www.afedonline.org This report should be cited as follows: AFED (2019). Environmental Education for Sustainable Development in Arab Countries. Annual Report of Arab Forum for Environment and Development, 2019; Saab, N., et al. (Ed.); Beirut, Lebanon. If the reference is to a specific chapter, include also number of the chapter and respective author(s). AFED and respective authors are solely responsible for opinions expressed in this report. The contents are based on best available data. Sponsors and supporting organizations do not necessarily endorse the views expressed in this report. Production Manager: Charbel Mahfoud Copy Editor: Rosalyn Saab Graphic Execution: Jamal Awada Printing: Arab Printing Press (APP), Beirut Photos: Environment & Development Magazine Archive - iStock photos - ILO - UNDP - Shutterstock - Wordpress ISBN: 978-9953-437-62-0 ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION IN ARAB COUNTRIES 5 Contents 7 PREFACE 9 INTRODUCTION 17 CHAPTER 1 Environmental Education and Education for Sustainable Development: Evolution and Global Trends Ahmed Gaber, Djihan Hassan, Hayam El Sherbiny, Mariam William 43 CHAPTER 2 Education for Sustainable Development in the Arab Countries Djihan Hassan, Ahmed Gaber, and Hayam El Sherbiny 71 CHAPTER 3 Environmental Education in Arab Universities Riyad Y. Hamzah 111 CHAPTER 4 Environment in Arab School Curricula Published with Technical Publications and Environment & Development magazine Reham Refaat Abdelaal and Charbel Mahfoud Beirut, Lebanon 148 ANNEX 1 [email protected] Introduction to Environment and Sustainable Development http://www.afedonline.org Proposed Course Syllabus This report should be cited as follows: AFED (2019). Environmental Education for Sustainable Development in Arab Countries. 150 ANNEX 2 Annual Report of Arab Forum for Environment and Development, 2019; Saab, N., et al. (Ed.); Beirut, Lebanon. Global Environmental Challenges Ibrahim Abdel Gelil If the reference is to a specific chapter, include also number of the chapter and respective author(s). 164 ANNEX 3 AFED and respective authors are solely responsible for opinions expressed in this report. UNEP’S GEO-6 Key Messages The contents are based on best available data. Sponsors and supporting organizations do not necessarily endorse the views expressed in this report. 167 CONTRIBUTORS Production Manager: Charbel Mahfoud Copy Editor: Rosalyn Saab 170 ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS Graphic Execution: Jamal Awada Printing: Arab Printing Press (APP), Beirut 1A ARABIC SUMMARY Photos: Environment & Development Magazine Archive - iStock photos - ILO - UNDP - Shutterstock - Wordpress ISBN: 978-9953-437-62-0 6 LIST OF OPINIONS AND CASE STUDIES WHAT PISA TELLS US ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS AND OPTIMISM OF 15-YEAR-OLDS IN OECD COUNTRIES ALFONSO ECHAZARRA AND FRANCESCO AVVISATI 22 UN ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME PERSPECTIVE ON ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION SAMI DIMASSI 28 ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION LEBANESE SCHOOL CURRICULA DR. NADA OWEIJANE 34 THE ROLE OF NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS IN ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION DR. ALAA EL-SADEK 38 ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN THE ARAB REGION - ISDB PERSPECTIVE ON EDUCATION AHMED AL QABANY 48 EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN THE MEDITERRANEAN NEEDS MORE POLITICAL BACKING DR. MICHAEL SCOULLOS 57 ENVIRONMENT IN MOROCCAN SCHOOLS AND UNIVERSITIES MOHAMMAD TAFRAOUTI 58 EDUCATION AS KEY SHAPING FACTOR OF A COMMON AND PROSPEROUS EURO-MEDITERRANEAN FUTURE: THE UNION FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN’S PERSPECTIVE UFM SECRETARIAT 62 INTEGRATING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT INTO HIGHER EDUCATION: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES DR. FARID CHAABAN 68 THE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PROGRAM AT THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF BEIRUT DR. RIMA HABIB 76 ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AT THE ARABIAN GULF UNIVERSITY DR. MOHAMMAD ABIDO AND DR. AHMED EL-KHOLEI 82 THE WATER LEARNING CENTER AT ARABIAN GULF UNIVERSITY DR. WALEED AL-ZUBARI 86 UNIVERSITY OF BAHRAIN ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (ESD) POSTGRADUATE PROGRAMS